Hills
by Dreamallday
Summary: Just a little something based on Bohemian rhapsody. JH though it's pretty angsty. My first fic, so give me some feedback I can work with. Pretty AU A few bad words,but nothing terrible
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: I've been reading the stories on this site for months but this is my first posting. I got the idea while reading Fight or Flight by Sooki28, but the only thing that I'm taking directly from that is the episode Chapter 2 of that fic is based on (Bohemian Rhapsody). So, be constructive but kind please.

Oh and of course none of That 70's show is mine, I'm just borrowing them.

Hyde's words were still hanging in the air above their heads when the doorbell rang. Jackie could hear them repeating over and over in her head.

"I'm just not ready to get married…I'm just not ready to get married…I'mjustnotreadytogetmarriedI'mjustnotreadytogetmarried..."

She could feel that chill deep inside and the sharp pains of her breath, but behind the roaring in her ears she heard these three new words.

"I'm your wife".

She had to get out. She was paralyzed she couldn't protect herself, couldn't even see in front of her. She stood up to leave the room but the second she was vertical her legs almost gave out from under her. Kitty rushed over to her side while the rest of the room continued to stare dumbfounded at the new arrival. She led Jackie into the kitchen.

"Sweetie just sit here for a second, don't stand up you need to rest or the blood will all rush to your feet."

"Mrs. Forman, she just-"

"Yes honey, she did," Kitty handed her a cool damp towel to hold on her forehead and a glass on juice.

Jackie drank her juice and stared blankly at the wall in front of her, Kitty stared at her profile waiting for the tears to streak down the girls face. But they never did. Jackie turned to look at the older woman beside her with a pale face and a flat voice, "If I had stayed in Chicago I wouldn't have seen that."

"I suppose that's true, but-"

"It would have happened anyway, stupid boulder."

"Jackie, I don't underst-"

" Thank you for the juice Mrs. Forman" and she got up and left the room walking down the stairs.

Kitty got up and entered the living room to see everyone in the exact same positions. Steven was sitting on the couch staring at the blond girl standing in front of the piano. Hearing the door open Hyde turned and looked at his pseudo-mother with an obvious question on his face. "Steven honey could you go down stairs and get some ice cream out of the freezer for dessert?"

With a nod of thanks he got up and went down to the basement.

At the bottom of the stairs he saw her, sitting on the couch facing away from him. "Jackie, I-" without turning Jackie used her foot to push his chair out, silently inviting him to sit. When he realized she wasn't going to speak he started to get nervous, apparently this was the electric chair. He felt like his whole body was twitching. He was the Zenmaster, the intellectual of their little group. But at this moment he had no strategy, but maybe he should start with the obvious.

"I don't remember marrying her."

Silence

"Umm, we hung out sometimes but I don't remember doing…anything with her."

More silence.

"Can you-"

A turn of her head, followed by…nothing. Maybe he should stop explaining and start asking questions, she had to respond to his questions, right?

"Jacks, what are you thinking right now?"

"Sisyphus."

"I'm sorry? What?"

"Do you know the story of Sisyphus… Hyde?"

Hyde, she'd called him Hyde, but it seemed forced. But wait he's still confused. "Um, no who is he, errr she, or it?"

"Sisyphus was a tricky little man who opened his big mouth and blabbed Zeus' secrets and was sent to hell. He played a little trick on Hades' wife and escaped. When they got him back they punished him by making him push a huge boulder up a steep hill everyday, forever. But right before he reaches the top it slides to the bottom, everyday no matter what."

"Ummm, okay."

"It never would have mattered would it Steven? No matter how much I lov-loved you it never would have made a dent. You never would have felt it, would you." The cool tone in her voice was frightening and so incredibly familiar. Not from her mouth though, only from his own.

Her eyes were alive with the pain he'd caused her but there were no tears. He couldn't answer her question, couldn't begin to tell her how much he **had **felt it. He'd felt it when she left him the note. He'd felt it when he saw her with Kelso. He **really really** felt it when he saw Kelso's towel. And now in flash he remembered marrying Sam. It felt like nothing. He hadn't felt it when his lips said "I Do"; he hadn't felt it when she touched him. Had he touched her? He supposed he must have, but he couldn't have felt that either.

He cleared his throat to dislodge the lump that had formed the moment he heard her voice. "I'm so sorry baby."

Baby, yeah, now his "baby" was upstairs wearing a tube top and being drooled on by Michael. "Fine Ste-Hyde, thank you for the apology. Now you should go upstairs and figure out whether you're going uphill, or downhill."

"Wait Jackie, I don't underst-", but she was already out the door. One thing was certain though; he had to figure out which direction he was going. But either way he had to start by going upstairs, to the wife.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's note: Okay, sorry for the delay I was out of town all week. Before you read this you should know a few things. 1. As of yet I have no plan for where this will go or how long it will be. 2. I feel that Hyde gets off way too easy in most stories. 3. I'm a little shaky on writing the other characters, so bare with me if Donna and the others are a little OOC. And 4. I've kind of blocked out the actual order of season 8 so consider me out in AU as of now, I imagine I'll be taking very little from the actual series at this point except in flashback.

It had been a week since Sam's arrival in Point Place and Hyde's talk with Jackie, but he was no closer to figuring it out then he was that first day. He wasn't a stupid man he knew, with relative certainty, that he didn't actually want Sam. Honestly he'd been over the whole Pam Macy 'blonde bimbo' scene since he took out that Raquel girl during Jackie's "I choose Me" summer. There was something dirty about a girl who was willing to take the absolute least you were willing to offer, and not dirty in a good way. But then again there was something particularly terrifying about a girl who wanted everything you had to give whether you were willing or not. No not terrifying, frustrating, right … frustrating.

Right he wasn't scared of one tiny cheerleader… It was the huge cataclysmic things that came out of her mouth that scared him. No he wasn't afraid, Jackie wasn't his concern anymore, he was just sitting here in his chair staring at a blank TV because…it was soothing. Exactly, Zen masters like himself just craved the calm, that's all it was. That was probably why he didn't notice Donna until she was practically in his face.

"Hey Donna man, what's with the hovering? If I'd had a private circle before you came in I'd be really freaked out right now".

"I'm just trying to figure out what the hell you're doing," she said staring him down with her hands on his hips.

"Well Big Red I'm sitting in a chair, see when you bend your legs and your ass-"

"Not that dillhole, I mean about all of this" she gestures to the room with large sweeping hand gestures "and that" she points upstairs to the kitchen where Sam is undoubtedly sitting awkwardly with Kitty in the kitchen.

"Oh man, are you here to bitch on Jackie's behalf, cuz seriously you'd think with a mouth that big she could do it on her own".

"Actually she isn't doing any bitching, in fact no one's actually heard from her all week".

"She's been hiding in her apartment all week? That's pathetic"

"No Hyde I've seen her, but she hasn't actually said anything. As far as we can tell she hasn't said a word all week".

Hyde sat there stunned. Jackie wasn't walking around calling him a 'stripper-loving man whore'? She wasn't whining about being too cute for a dill hole like him? Or about how all that crying makes her face puffy? That wasn't his Jacks. Wait. His Jacks? He had no Jacks; he had a Sam, oh crap. Damn, if he had made every decision with his eyes closed and his hands tied behind his back he couldn't have screwed this up worse.

"Fez says she goes to work at the salon everyday and then leaves and goes somewhere for a few hours before going to the apartment but he doesn't know why or where she goes. "

Hyde couldn't say anything. The image of the pain in her eyes and the detached sound of her voice the last time she spoke made Hyde wonder if their conversation last week before the doorbell rang was the last spark of Jackie they'd ever see.

"But I'm sure we'll get at least a few Jackie-like rants after she hears about the salon" Hyde jerked out of his thoughts upon hearing Donna's comment but got his Zen back before he spoke.

"What, they're discontinuing her shampoo brand or something?" he added with his usual smirk.

"No the salon's owner sold the place, Jackie's getting fired today. Fez tried to talk to the new manager but Jackie was the last one hired so…"

"What's she gonna do now?" It was out of his mouth before he could get a handle on it. He was going to have to firm up his Zen while he figured out what was going on. Rolling his eyes and brushing off Jackie when she's bitching and yelling is one thing. But Jackie unemployment and silent, that Jackie sounded broken.

"I'm not sure what she'll do, she's obviously not saying so I guess we just wait and see," Donna said with a small shrug.

But Hyde knew what he'd get by waiting and seeing. He'd broken her. He'd broken the one person strong enough to force themslf inside Steven Hyde. He knew what waiting would bring. Jackie's life was going downhill.


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry to disappoint but it's not an actual chapter. I just wanted to thank everyone who's reviewed and convinced me to keep going. The feedback has been wonderful and greatly appreciated. I hope you'll like where I'm going with this and keep helping me along.

Thanks

The daydreamer


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Okay I'm taking a few liberties with the timeline. Kelso is still in Chicago...for now. Eric is in Africa…For now, maybe longer. The other factors out of order will be apparent if you keep reading.

Jackie Burkhardt had always been a determined girl. Only freshman to ever make the Varsity cheerleading team, due entirely to her bewitching personality and continual practice. She held her relationship with Michael together through all his many indiscretions by sheer force of will. Her dogged persistence even got her a date with the 'ungettable' Steven Hyde that Veterans Day so long ago. Every decision she ever made was backed by the belief that a person should put the full weight of their convictions behind every choice. And right now Jackie Burkhardt was determined to find a job and keep on getting by.

Everyday she'd gone to work at the salon with Fez. She'd do her job, smile at the customers as they came in, and then she'd get to leave. She was rapidly falling to pieces, but she barely felt that anymore. She knew that she'd start crying as soon as she got in her car, but she couldn't feel the tears falling from her eyes anymore. It was a cliché, cheerleaders crying under the bleachers, but it was the only place her privacy was ensured. In her apartment she was always subject to a peeping- eyed foreigner. And while she'd long ago come to terms with being spied on in her underwear being spied on in her grief was too unbearable.

Her hours under the bleachers passed mostly without notice. Jackie sat there as long as it took to get her breathing back under control. That was becoming a real problem. Being in a crowd of strangers was fine. She was used to playing the popular beauty to a group of people who didn't know her at all, four years of high school had taught her well. But the basement gang…she could barely breathe. Every time she even started to open her mouth in felt like someone had reached in and stolen her air. She hadn't seen Ste-Hyde in the week since Sam had arrived and become a part of the Foreman household. But if one afternoon with Donna was enough to have her gasping for air then a run in with Ste-Hyde would probably leave her on the floor unconscious and turning blue.

She had to work harder on that from now on. 'Steven' was the man who shaved his beard to make her smile. 'Hyde' was the man who married a stripper then allowed her to stay because "why throw away a perfectly decent wife". That's what he'd said; she'd heard Fez tell Donna the other day. "Why throw away a perfectly decent wife," he'd thrown **her** away easily enough. "I don't know" **Jackie**, "Have a nice trip**" Jackie**, but why "throw away" **the stripper **you married on a bender in Vegas. She was starting to wonder if Her Steven had died and taken the fabulous Jackie with him. Because this Jackie was an incredibly pale faded version of her former glory.

But even fading beauty queens needed to eat so instead of standing around she should just open that door, go in and get this job. This was her only idea and if it didn't work out she'd be screwed. The mall wasn't hiring, not even her high school nemesis the Cheese place. So she picked up the 'Help Wanted' sign and opened the door.

"I see you're looking for someone, I'm available immediately and ready to work."

"Jackie?"

"Hi, Mr. Foreman, still need someone to hold the flashlight for you?"


	5. Chapter 5

AN: I know absolutely NOTHING about car repair. So please disregard all automotive related ignorance. I know people have been distressed that my chapters are so short, but I'm still trying to get the hang of this thing. I'm going to try and make this one longer by following more than one character in the same chapter. I'll try to make it easy to follow. And as always I don't own a thing.

Being a veteran, and of course Point Place's biggest hardass, Red Foreman knew not to get involved in matters of the heart. A man like him trying to comfort a heartbroken girl was like a soldier on the front lines without a gun, he just didn't have the right equipment. But cars he knew. You fix what you can fix, replace the parts you need to replace, and scrap the whole car when there's nothing left to save. Red wasn't sure how close Jackie was to the scrap heap, but she did know her way around a car.

"Okay Jackie, now tighten that nut and you're done. Make sure it's good and tight."

"Okay Mr. Foreman, how's that?"

"Not bad Kid, not bad. You actually did that pretty quick."

"It's the small fingers. It's really easy to pick up the little parts."

"Huh. Okay Jackie you got the job. Nine o'clock tomorrow, be on time. I'll try to get you a uniform that fits a little better."

"Yeah rolling up these sleeves all the time will slow me down, plus really if I have to wear this awful color I would at least like it to be slightly smaller than a tent."

"Okay kid, rule Number 1 at Foreman's muffler shop, no Cosmo talk around the tools."

Jackie looked up at him and smirked, the first real sign of life he'd seen in her since that damn blonde girl showed up. "Okay Mr. Foreman, no girly talk, but only for you."

"Go on get cleaned up. We did good today."

"Thank you Mr. Foreman, and listen, um do you think we could keep my job here quiet for a while? I just need this… for me." With that she shuffled off to the back while he put away their tools and cleaned off the counter. Maybe, just maybe that girl could repair herself.

****

* * *

**_Foreman's basement, same time. Hyde's Chair._**

The key to Zen has always been observation. You watch what's going on around you figure out what it all means then come up with a reaction. It was essential. If you know exactly how everything moves, how everyone ticks there are no surprises. Eric always sticks his foot in his mouth, Fez will always go the creepiest route possible and Kelso's hormones could ruin any situation given proper stimulation. And Hyde found that his new wife was no different. He'd been observing her for two weeks now, and he thought he had her pretty well figured out.

There wasn't anything incredibly striking about her. Her hair was blonde..ish. Kind of like something had come along and tried to suck the blonde right off her head. People always went crazy for blondes. But weren't blondes just less…colorful? Well hair is hair, what guy actually cares about that? Now her body, that was certainly…there. Right out there, she wasn't one for mystery. _You were expecting modesty from a girl who's uniform is a g-string? _his subconscious chimed in. Okay his subconscious had him there.

But married to a stripper, that's the teenage male's fantasy…probably the middle-aged man fantasy too. And the sex was definitely…adequate. Wait. Adequate? Well the sex was…good. Fine. She certainly wanted it, which was a plus. Wait, she wants it? Married to a stripper and the only positive that comes to mind is that she's there and willing? Well it's hard to get that proud "He-Man" male feeling about bagging a stripper. It's not like there was much pursuing, or persuading. She was a stripper he was just another guy seeing her naked. Wait. 'Just another guy seeing her naked'? It's not like he had to woo her, not like when he was with Jac-

Jackie Burkhardt.

Jackie had done quite a bit of the pursuing in their relationship (tattoos and toe rings anyone?), but he'll admit (if only to himself) that he got a very macho thrill out of her "oh Steven you're my hero" reaction to his attempts at romance. He wasn't sure how they could BOTH be the pursuer in the relationship but that girl was nothing if not unpredictable. Jackie never fit his methods. He could never get a handle on her. No matter how long he observed her he could never tell what was coming next. Years of burning one another and then as fast as you can say "Come on Down, You're the next contestant.." she's all over him. See that's what unpredictable got him. That's what he got for losing his Zen. He didn't keep his eyes open, he didn't watch where he was going and what did that get him? _A girl who worshiped you?_ Goddamn subconcious.He should just stick with what works. He's on a straight path now, no twists, nothing waiting to jump out at you. Everything was clear; he should just keep on the way he was heading.

"Hey Hyde, Donna invited me over after work to hang out with her and that Jackie chick, so I'll see you tomorrow baby."

Wait, where was he going again?


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Thank you all for the wonderful reviews, it's much appreciated. I didn't really want to tackle Jackie/Sam dialogue so this one is mostly internal monologues. It's a transition, I promise the next chapter will move a little more.

With Eric in Africa molding kids (into Jedis most likely) and Kelso in Chicago ogling bunnies, Donna felt that it was up to her to hold her group together. With Eric gone she was the last link to sanity their little group had. Hyde's tour of Vegas' strip clubs and bars had obviously killed necessary brain cells. Fez was…well Fez was pretty much always off in Fezland. And Jackie was…well peculiar. She must be heartbroken, anyone could assume that. But she wasn't the weepy heartbroken that they'd all witnessed, most famously after the "Nurse Incident". But Donna wasn't sure if that was better or worse. But considering that Jackie had been almost totally mute since Sam's arrival Donna could only assume they'd ventured into uncharted depths of heartbreak.

It was probably a pretty rotten thing to do to your best friend. But Jackie was surprisingly sensible (or at least she could be), she'd see that this was the best for the group. They needed to stick together and Jackie would bounce back soon enough. It had only been two weeks, she'd bounce back. And in the mean time Hyde seemed to be sticking with this girl so it was up to them to get to know her.

So she put the beer in the fridge, the food on the table, crossed her fingers and waited for the other two to arrive

* * *

Jackie would have to ask Mr. Foreman but she's pretty sure this must be what it's like when they try to torture information out of POWs. Like that Chinese water torture.

Plop…Plop…Plop…Plop…Sam…Sam…Sam…Sam…

It wasn't painful, not like "The Nurse Incident". She was too numb to be raw. That drop of water wouldn't kill you, just drive you crazy…til you _wish_ it would kill you. She wondered if Donna had any idea what it felt like. Probably not, whenever she and Eric broke up he just laid around pining for her. Donna didn't know what it was like to look at some blonde tramp and see what Jackie was seeing. Sam was sitting on the couch eating chips and drinking a beer, but in front of Jackie's eyes she was sitting on Hyde's lap sticking her tongue in his mouth and her hand down his… She wondered if her imagination was making it worse because she hadn't actually SEEN them together. She'd been avoiding that so far. She knew she couldn't avoid it forever.

It had become very apparent that her friends were not going to go out of their way to lend her a hand. Exhibit A. This slumber party. Donna was going to bend over backwards to make Sam a part of their group whether she fits or not. Michael and Fez were no help. Fez was constantly droning on about Sam and Donna becoming friends and having "sexy sleepovers". And Michael's contribution, via the phone, was "Cheerleaders and Strippers!?! Hyde is like Penthouse's Man of the Year!" Apparently she was the only one who had ever thought she and Steven had a chance. And if she wanted to have any companionship at all she'd have to go to them. To the basement. To top it all off, nobody seemed to care that she hadn't spoken all week. The old Jackie's pride would have been horribly wounded. This Jackie was just relieved that no one was watching. No one was watching her slide downhill.

* * *

Meanwhile: The Foreman's Kitchen

"Kitty do we have to eat with that tube top girl tonight?"

"No Red, she's over at Donna's for a girl's night with Jackie and Donna. And Steven's still at the store."

"The Loud One and The Pole Dancer in the same room?"

"It's nice that Donna's trying but poor Jackie. That girl has just not been herself since Chicago. "

Red could see it now, tomorrow was going to be a very loud chatty day at his shop.


	7. Chapter 7

AN: To make it easier everything in italics is what the speaker is thinking during the dialogue.

"Hey Baby" Sam waltzes in the basement door wearing her trademark tube top and daisy dukes.

"Sam." Hyde nods distractedly, staring at the TV. "How was your night at Donna's?"

"Donna's okay I guess, she's totally jealous of my Trans Am. But isn't everyone?" She sits on the couch next to Hyde's chair crossing her legs seductively.

"Uh…Yeah." _Sexy poses? Seriously? You're showing it all anyway, you don't have anything left hidden to tease with. _

"Is that Jackie chick stupid or something?"

"Stupid?" His head snaps up to look at his wife. _Jackie stupid? No way. Way too trusting, kinda flighty sometimes, always using hair care as metaphors for life, but not stupid. I hate to admit it, but those dumb metaphors actually made sense._

"Yeah she just sat there all night staring at a magazine, she barely even turned the pages. God how do you stand having her around all the time?"

"Jackie wasn't bitching at you or burning you_?" I thought this quiet defeated Jackie was a temporary thing. Isn't this about the time she starts getting mad and trying to tease me and punish me at the same time? What happened to the routine? Jackie cries, stays in bed all day, looks devastated and makes me feel like an ass. Then she gets pissed, burns me constantly and tells me she's too good for a burnout like me. Then we fight, kiss, and mak-…_

"What? No way. Please she could barely look at me, She's not that bad looking it's weird she's so shy and intimidated by hot girls like me."

"That doesn't sound like her she must have been sick or something."_Jackie Burkhart, intimidated by girls? 'Not that bad looking' 'Hot girls like me,' there are so many things wrong with that sentence. Jackie would rather die than get one-upped by a slut. She kicked Laurie's ass man!_

"Yeah, whatever. Donna and I just ignored her and talked more about how awesome the Trans Am is."

"Cool." _Not cool, Donna ignored Jackie all night? This is not good, Jackie's either going to snap and beat someone's head in with her boot (and we all seem to be prime candidates) or she's just going to disappear._

"So Hyde" Sam whispers running her hand down Hyde's arm, "You wanna do it?"

"Whatever" '_You wanna do it'? Oh my God I married Kelso._

* * *

_RED FOREMAN'S MUFFLER SHOP, SAME DAY_

Red decided early on that his best bet was to stay quiet and not make any sudden movements. No need to alert the enemy to his presence. But now it was too quiet; this is what it's like in the jungle right before the ambush.

" Okay Jackie the blue hatchback over there needs a new muffler and an oil change, can you get that?"

"Sure"

"Good, that's good." Usually Red wasn't one to poke a sleeping lion but he had to nudge just enough so he could figure out when the dam was going to break…so he could get out of the flood zone. "So…I hear you and Donna made a new friend." _Okay soldier, duck and cover._

"Whatever."

"Did you just say whatever?"

"Yep"

"Jackie…you're starting to sound like the dumbass."

"Well, this seems like the perfect time to practice what The Dumbass has been preaching all these years." She replied with a blank look on her face, though her eyes reflected her mind's visions of Steven and Sam together.

Red let out an exasperated sigh. _Damn it. This damn caring heart gets me in trouble. I'll never get these dumbass kids away from me._ "Look Jackie. You can't do that because you can't let Steven change you, there's nothing wrong with what you wanted from him. You were just trying to grow up and be an adult, I respect that. He should have stepped up, been a man and tried. And well…If you turn into an irresponsible sunglass-wearing dumbass I'll stick my foot so far up your ass you'll be coughing up shoelaces for a month!" _There, I've done my part._

Jackie turned to look at her unexpected confidante, and only ally. And hoarsely she replied "Thank you Red."

"Yeah, yeah, don't mention it."

Hesitantly Jackie began to speak," I know you hate listening to women talk about feelings, and cry, so how about we do this. I won't cry or go Zen on you, if you keep reminding me that I can do this. Because once I clock out of here every evening there's no one else around who even cares if I CAN keep going. What do you say Mr. Foreman…deal?" She holds out her hand with her jaw firmly set and watery eyes, the perfect mix of Burkhart emotion and Hyde Zen.

Gently and with a small paternal smile he takes her hand "Deal kid, and when we're in the shop…call me Red."


	8. Chapter 8

AN: Thanks again for the wonderful reviews and encouragement. In the next couple chapters I'm going to try to move from internal monologues to actual character interaction. We'll see how that goes. Okay Red might be a little OOC, but I always thought he secretly liked Jackie best.

Fez was walking down the street in his own little Fez world, which was very much like Candy Land, only less colorful.

"Stupid Piggly Wiggly, the sign says 'FREE SAMPLES', there is no sign that says 'Do Not Take 20 pigs in a blanket,' they should be more specific." As Fez continues to walk down the street he comes to the corner directly across from the Muffler Shop, where he sees a very unusual sight.

_That looks like Jackie leaving the muffler shop. But why would Jackie be in the muffler shop? Her car is at home…unless…Aiiii….Jackie works for Mr. Red._ He sees them walk further out of the doorway and he ducks behind a car.

"Thanks again Red. Usually when something like…this…happens to me I can just bitch for a while and be okay. But this time I know that there's no second chance for Steven and I. He's married to her now and I have to start over from scratch. I guess I just need you to know how grateful I am, this is the best fresh start I could have asked for."

"You're welcome kid, I think Steven may get his head out of his ass one of these days and see sense."

Jackie shook her head and looked down with a sad smile. "No Red, I gave him every chance. I went out on the limb first, every time, and it was never enough to make him comfortable. It was never enough for him to trust me. He seems comfortable with her, happy. I mean he's staying with her. I guess I just wasn't the right girl."

"Well if the dumbass really believes that then he deserves the life he'll get with that one."

"You know Steven, he'll be content with whatever he gets. I think he always hated the effort he had to make with me. I'm a lot of work, you know." She smirked, letting a little of the old Jackie show through.

"Well, don't let him run you down. I don't let pansies work in my shop ya' know."

"You got it. Goodnight Red, see you tomorrow."

Fez stood back, shocked by what he'd heard. _Red, giving Jackie a pep talk? Jackie thinking she is not enough for Hyde? Is Hyde actually happy with the stripper? I would be happy with a stripper but Hyde has had Jackie, and cheerleaders are just as good. Aiiii I would like a stripper, or a cheerleader, or an uggo. Why is there no woman for Fez. Hyde breaks pretty girls' hearts and God gives him a stripper. Fez deserves strippers..I…I need to go tell someone about Jackie and Red! _Fez runs off in the direction of the Foreman's house.

* * *

A FEW MINUTES LATER: THE FOREMAN KITCHEN

Fez comes running up the driveway and bursts through the sliding glass door to find Donna and Kitty sitting at the table with a little surprise.

"Fez! My little man!"

Fez, still panting from his sprint across town looks up with wide eyes. "KELSO!!!!" He gasps, " You have come back to me!" He runs over and throws his arms around his best friend.

"Yeah Fez I'm home for the weekend….Fez…Fez you can let go now…FEZ!"

Fez releases Kelso with a happy sigh. "Aiii you have been away too long. There are so many new boobs down at the Hub, come we will go scout them!"

"Hey Fez, why were you running anyway?" Donna asks with a confused head tilt.

"I almost forgot! Kelso's handsome face has distracted me."

"Well..?" Donna and Kitty ask in unison.

"OH! Jackie is working in Mr. Red's muffler shop!"

"WHAT!?", "NO WAY", "HE WOULD'VE TOLD ME" they all yelled.

"Yes it's true I saw them talking outside the shop"

With their backs to the door no one saw Hyde come up from the basement.

"So, just because they were talking doesn't mean Mr. Foreman hired her."

"No I heard them, this was not her first day. He said he'd see her tomorrow and he gave her a pep talk."

"Red Foreman gave a pep talk, that's crazy talk Fez."

"Wait, wait, Fez you HEARD Jackie talk?" Donna asked, finally catching up with the story.

"Yes?"

"But Jackie hasn't said a word in two weeks. To anyone. She can't be talking to Mr. Foreman."

Hyde continued to stand in the shadows, absorbing the news Fez was giving them. _Jackie's still not talking to Donna, well after the Sam sleepover thing it's not surprising that she doesn't want to share her feelings. But what could she possibly be talking to Red about?_

"Mr. Foreman told her not to let Hyde and the stripper get her down. Then Jackie said that Hyde didn't love her enough to be comfortable with her. But he's comfortable with Sam so he must want her. Mr. Foreman said Hyde was a dumbass who deserves what he gets for being stupid."

"Well **that** sounds like my Red." Kitty chimed in with a roll of her eyes.

"Then Jackie said that maybe she just wasn't the right girl for Hyde."

"But Fez, Jackie always said that since she was so beautiful she was the right girl for everyone." Added Donna.

Hyde's face fell, his Zen slipping with no one around to call him on it. _Jackie thinks I'm with Sam because she wasn't enough for me? She thinks I was uncomfortable because I didn't love her? She thinks I CHOSE Sam? I didn't choose her; I got drunk and woke up with her. How could she think that, doesn't she know me at all? Of course she doesn't you jackass, you spend all your time making everyone think Sam's awesome._

"That's crazy, my Steven was nuts about that little loud mouth. He stayed with her at the car show, Red didn't even do that for me and we've been married 25 years!"

"I don't know Mrs. Foreman he always seemed aggravated when she'd ask him to do things with her, and he only said nice stuff to her when she was pissed at him. And we all know guys do that so the girl will still want to do it" Kelso added with a sure nod of his head.

Hyde was furious_. Could not one of those morons (Mrs. Foreman excluded, I can't call the woman who takes care of me a moron) see that I loved her? I stayed with her for two years; I agonized over whether I could give her a future. She's my doll. I'm with Sam so I would stop hurting her and disappointing her. Can't those dillholes see that?_

"Huh, you know Mrs. Foreman Hyde does seem a lot less stressed with Sam," Donna said.

Hyde shook his head in disgust. _Of course I'm less stressed, what do I care about Sam. I love Jackie, not Sam_

"Oh, and Jackie said that she thinks Hyde didn't like being her boyfriend. She said he hated having to make the effort for her. I think because if he didn't really love her then it must have been a job, and we know how Hyde hates to work."

Hyde leaned back against the basement door. _Jackie thinks I thought she was a hassle? I loved spending time with her, she was my chick man. It was never a job, I just wasn't good at getting it right. Man how could they not know how important she was?_

Then, suddenly, Hyde had a thought that put every moment since Jackie's "ultimatum" into perspective

_Maybe Jackie never knew either_.


	9. Chapter 9

AN: Okay people we're getting close. One more chapter and then I think I'll finally put Hyde and Jackie face to face. But for now…Hyde needs his ass kicked. And I've got just the asskicker. Again Red might be kind of OOC, but it was necessary. Also be aware there is some questionable language in this one.

Hyde was pacing around the kitchen, getting himself mentally prepared for what he was about to do. _It goes against everything I stand for, I have to talk and listen and ask for advice all in one sitting. No I have to do it. Everything is rushing down hill so fast I just can't get in front of this. Do it. Do it Hyde. Be a man. Do it right now. Open the door._

"Mr. Foreman, can I talk to you?'

"Have a seat dumbass."

* * *

SAME TIME FEZ & JACKIE'S APARTMENT

"Jackie, my beautiful, are you in there?" Fez calls through her bedroom door.

Jackie walks out of her room and gives Fez a brief smile and nod of her head.

"Jackie, we need to talk to you."

Jackie's brow furrows in confusion. "_We", we who?_ Just as that thought passed through her mind she got her answer.

"Fez where's the beer? All you have in here is chick booze"

Jackie's eyes darted over to see none other than her 'first love' Michael Kelso. For a split second she was thrilled to see his friendly face…then her memory returned. **Kelso** in towel, **Kelso** talking about "doing it", **Kelso, pushing **and** pushing **until Steven was so** paranoid **he **fled** without even waiting to hear what she had to say. Kelso.

"KELSO!" The aforementioned boy jumped a foot in the air hearing his name screeched out by his reportedly mute ex-girlfriend. Before he had a chance to turn and escape her fury she reared back and let fly an unbelievable left hook that knocked the poor pretty boy flat on his back. Fez stood there gaping at his friend lying prone behind the couch.

"Jackie! You killed Kelso!" Fez wailed bending down to try and revive his best friend.

But Jackie couldn't hear it. _Red must be rubbing off on me,_ she thought with an internal cackle. _He's been telling me to hold on and fight back. I think maybe I just started listening. _Jackie wasn't strong enough yet to confront the man who shattered her heart and tossed her aside for a whore, but she had just enough in her to take on his dimwitted accomplice.

"Kelso. SIT!" and Kelso obeyed.

* * *

BACK AT THE FOREMAN'S:

Hyde was starting to sweat. Red hadn't used the phrase "foot up your ass" yet, which meant Hyde was probably in for a marathon. He'd heard Eric tell tale of Red chewing out that twit Earl for hours when he was manager at Pricemart. And Earl was just late and dumb. Hyde had broken the one person that he suspected Red liked above all others. It was always a secret suspicion of his, and the conversation he'd overhead yesterday in the kitchen had just made his theory that much stronger.

"Steven do you know what you're doing with that girl?" Red asked with a deadly calm usually attributed to assassins and serial killers.

Hyde gulped, "Which girl?"

Red's eyes flashed as he stared down the boy he'd always thought of as his own, "The one who's trashy undergarments are currently cluttering up my basement, the only girl you currently possess."

That last part stung. Try as he may Hyde till couldn't stop thinking of Jackie as his, even though he hadn't seen her face in weeks, well at least not in the real world. Though she was there everytime he closed his eyes...or breathed. "I married her," he finally replied with much less assurance than that statement should hold.

"Yes. But as half the married people in the world can tell you, marriage can be undone. What are you doing with her NOW?"

Hyde realized that he was going to have to be much more up front with Red if he ever wanted to get out of this hole he'd dug himself. "I couldn't just toss her out on her ass. She doesn't know what happened here before I left for Vegas. It wouldn't have been right, she deserved a shot."

Red's face was grim as he considered Hyde's statement. "She deserved a shot huh. Did you deserve a shot once Steven?"

Hyde was honestly perplexed at the turn this talk had taken and it showed on his face, so Red tried again.

"When Edna left town we took you in, because you deserved a shot right? A chance not to end up in prison, right?" Hyde nodded

"And when Kitty and I found out what you boys did in the basement with the smoke detectors disabled, we let you stay because you were a part of this family and you deserved a second chance, right?" Hyde nodded again recalling all the times this family had made him feel at home.

"And when you cheated on Jackie she gave you a chance, because you'd never cared about a girl before, right?" Hyde inhaled and exhaled deeply, not replying to the statement.

"And when she was going to leave she gave you a chance, a couple of chances to stop it, right." Hyde looked up with a shameful face waiting for the axe he knew was about to fall.

"So now that you've had all these chances you're willing to give one back. Why give it to a girl you barely know…and not to the one who earned it."

* * *

JACKIE & FEZ'S APARTMENT

"Jackie, you're kinda scaring me now" Kelso whimpered from his corner of the sofa.

"Trust me, I haven't even started yet. But lets get started shall we. You better listen to me and listen to me good Michael Kelso. I am sick of this. I have a soft spot for you because you were my first and sweet in an infuriating way. Like a puppy who pees on the carpet because he doesn't know any better. But you have to learn better. The puppy's mess gets cleaned up with a sponge and a little irritating work. Your mess just keeps festering."

Kelso and Fez were in a trance, never had they seen this side of Jackie before. Kelso had seen her scream, usually her high -pitched "Michael!" but this was new. She was vibrating with anger; he was kind of worried that if she didn't start yelling her head would pop off. "Jackie, what did I do?"

"What did you do? What did you do? You spent two years chipping away at my relationship with Steven planting tiny seeds of worry in his brain. You didn't take no for an answer. I told you we were through. Time and again. But you REFUSED to just be my friend. After I was so compassionate to you after Laurie dumped you, and when you lost your…drive..with Pam Macy. I was considerate of you and the whores you went after. But you never, never gave me the same respect with Steven. If you had then you wouldn't have tried to sleep with me when I was heartbroken in Chicago."

Kelso realized she was right. He had tried to help them out, get them back together after the "nurse incident" but he never did give it the respect it deserved. Kelso had felt guilt before, after all he'd cheated…a lot, but never like this. "Jackie, I'm so sorry, sincerely. When you and I were together we were just dumb kids. I never saw how grown up you were with Hyde. You're right, I'm so sorry."

Jackie looked at him, her anger dulling slightly in the face of real regret, not just regret at being caught. "I accept your apology. But Kelso, until you can figure out how to treat me as just a friend you have to stay away."

Kelso nodded sadly and looked down, "So you're always gonna call me Kelso now?"

Jackie nodded, "Yes I am, that was one of the mistakes **I** made during this whole disaster and if I'm going to make you own up to your part I should own up to my own. So…you never had a shot Kelso. That summer after the nurse, I just wanted Steven to see that he had done to me just what you'd done to me time and time again. I'm sorry I ever led you on."

Very quietly he replied "Even I knew that, apology accepted."

* * *

AND STILL AT THE FOREMAN'S: 

"Well Steven, why give Sam a shot?"

Hyde got up to face Red with a burst of honest energy. "BECAUSE IT DIDN'T MATTER IF WE BLEW IT!!!!" He started to pant and clench his fists as it all came roaring through his body and out his mouth.

"EVERY CHANCE YOU AND JACKIE GAVE ME I FUCKED UP! YOU TOOK ME IN AND I DID ILLEGAL THINGS RIGHT IN YOUR HOUSE! YOU CAUGHT ME AND I NEVER STOPPED! I LOVED A GIRL AND DID EXACTLY THE SAME SHIT TO HER THAT BUD DID TO MY MOM! AND THEN SHE GIVES ME THE **CHANCE** OF HER WHOLE** LIFE?!? **HOW COULD I COME THROUGH ON THAT, WHAT HAD I EVER DONE TO GET THAT CHANCE!?!" Hyde collapsed on the sofa gasping for breath his entire body shaking.

"Steven-"

"If I gave Sam a chance at she tossed it away then it was just another week gone. But if I give Jackie a chance, she'd take it. And I could piss away whole years of her life" he said quietly never looking at the man who'd fed and clothed him for years.

Red sighed sadly. "Yes she would have, I'd bet she still would. But if you do what I know, what we all know, you wanted to do you wouldn't have pissed away anything. Steven I think you know by now that Jackie is my favorite of all you kids. Do you know why?"

"No"

"Because she'll never do something just because people want her too. She wears trendy clothes, but not to follow a crowd. She wasn't asking you to make her choice for her..she'd already made it. You weren't deciding her future you were confirming her choice. If she hadn't already chosen you she never would have asked you to choose her. She had given up on the idea of that magical job, she was out on the limb asking you to JOIN her. That job would have only disappointed her, because supposedly perfect things always disappoint. You were never perfect, I imagine if you had done what you wanted to do with her and for her you could have only exceeded her expectations."

"But instead I disappointed her and destroyed it forever?"

"Go have a chat with your wife and then tell me if that statement is true."

AN: Okay, that is a huge weight off my shoulders. we're working towards the finish now. I tried to keep the language tame, I hope you liked Hyde's asskicking/confession.


	10. Chapter 10

FEZ & JACKIE'S APARTMENT

"Ok Fez, I'm going to get going. Jackie may get wound up again and I can't risk another shot to my sexy face, sexy's all I got man."

"Okay Kelso, I'll meet you at the Hub later, I hear Kat Peterson is home from college."

"Awesome man. And hey, check on Jackie for me…Okay?"

"You got it my friend." And Kelso quietly walked out the door

_Okay Fez, Jackie is in the shower so you are safe for at least 30 minutes. Aiiii but after that mad Jackie will come after you for hitting on Hyde's stripper! You need to find protection… AH HA. You are brilliant Fez, Yes thank you Fez I am brilliant._

"Hello?"

"Donna, please hurry Fez needs you!"

"Fez? What the-"

"Now you bid red giant!"

* * *

It was nice to see that although everyone had gone crazy the basement was still the same. Same couch, same smell, same popsicles in the freezer. Just what Kelso needed, some relaxation.

Kelso turned at the sound of footsteps from the back room, hoping (though with some guilt) that it would be the stripper coming out to practice her routine. But no such luck, "Hyde man!"

"Kelso, what are you doing here? Did you burn down the Playboy club?"

"Nah man I just needed a weekend at home, I needed my mom to do my laundry. I did it last time and all my underwear is pink, can't have the bunnies laughing at me man."

"Whatever man, what are you doing HERE? Shouldn't you and Fez be out trolling for sluts?"

"Yeah we're going later, but I had to get out of that apartment, Jackie's gone psycho. I mean you really screwed her up bad this time."

"Wait, what's up with Jackie?"

"She HIT ME MAN! Damn, I'm not even the one who cheated on her this time and she punched me in the face! It's almost like she turned into you Hyde."

_Turned into me? _"Kelso, she just walked in and punched you?"

"Well first she yelled at me then she hit me. THEN she sat me down and started yelling about me being a dumb puppy and always butting in to your relationship and trying to take advantage of her being sad about you not wanting her."

"She did?"

"Yeah man then she told me I never had a shot and I had to stay away from until I could stop hitting on her. I don't understand girls man, doesn't she like being hit on?"

"Jackie said you couldn't be around her anymore?"

"That's what I said Hyde! She kept saying 'Kelso you're like a puppy that peed on the carpet.' 'Kelso, I always tried to be your friend', 'Kelso stop trying to do it with me!' Kelso-"

"Kelso, she didn't call you Michael?"

"Nah, that's the funny part she said if I had to take the blame for always hitting on her she had to take the blame for her stuff too. So she said she'd never call me Michael anymore. Man she was really pissed, she didn't even seem sad that we'd never do it again."

_Huh I guess she never was that sad to see Kelso go. I don't understand this, what's the point of sending Kelso away now…unless maybe…maybe Red was right and it isn't over just yet. She's talking again that's gotta mean something right?  
_

"Hey Hyde, where's the wife?" Kelso asked with a suggestive raise of his eyebrows.

"Gone man."

"What do you mean gone?"

"I mean she's gone. Turns out the wedding chapel wasn't licensed so we weren't even married anyway."

"You don't sound too upset about it."

" Whatever, she was just a chick man."

"That's a great burn Hyde. Leaving Jackie for a chick you didn't even like. Actually that was a great burn last time you did it too, oooh and the time before that."

"SHUT UP KELSO"

"OW! My eye!"

* * *

F & J's apartment 

"Okay Donna the shower just went off so Jackie should be out in a minute, you must protect Fez…and watch out for her left hook."

"You know Fez, I'm starting to think that Jackie isn't just pissed at Hyde. I think she may be pissed-"

"At all of you?" Jackie asked pulling her hair back as she walked out of her bedroom.

"Jackie!" Fez whirled around to face her and jumped to attention.

"Is that what you were wondering, Donna? If I'm pissed at all of you?" Jackie asked with stony face and eyes burning.

"Are you?"

"You bet your ass I am."

"But Jackie-"

"Donna, I've been stewing all on my own for quite a while now. I wouldn't test me right now."

"C'mon Jackie I was just trying to keep the group together."

"Really, aren't I apart of the group?" Jackie asked. Her face blank in a way her best friend had never seen before, except on Hyde's face.

"Jackie! Of course you are! You're my best friend."

"Really. Ever since Sam arrived I've been completely and totally disappearing. The only people I've talked to in two weeks have been Mr. & Mrs. Foreman. I get panic attacks at the very **thought **of Hyde and that _woman._ But it was so much more important to make her a part of the group then it was to help me climb back out of the ditch I've been in."

Jackie stopped to take a deep breath but she didn't lose any of her momentum.

"You were so quick to look out for Sam's interests. EVERYONE is so quick to cater to her needs. Poor Sam, she doesn't know anyone I should make her feel welcome. Poor Sam, we got married after only knowing each other a week, I should devote my life to her. Poor Sam. A husband, a free bed in a nice house, a couple of morons drooling over her at every turn, and a new best friend out to make this _tough transition_ as easy as possible. Yup, poor Sam."

Donna felt the horrible clench of guilt in her stomach, Jackie was right. Sam had never been the victim. She may not have set out to break Jackie's heart. But Jackie was the one who ended up heartbroken…and alone. "Jackie, I'm so sorry."

"Forget it Donna, it doesn't matter anymore. This is the way things are now. I needed you two weeks ago when I could barely breathe and waking up was just one continuous nightmare. Now I have a job and now I have my anger to keep me from getting so numb. I don't need you now."

"Jackie please," Donna whimpered. She looked over to Fez for help, but he was looking down ashamed at how he'd behaved.

Jackie sighed. As pissed as she was at everyone she just couldn't toss away her friendships. Call her a bitch, call her the devil, but Jackie Burkhart was always loyal to her friends. "Look Donna don't feel sorry for me. I learned something from this. If I had 10 dollars to my name the day Sam arrived I would have run off and spent months curled into a pathetic little ball. But I had nothing. No money, nowhere to hide and no one to help me. But I made it through, it was okay."

Donna looked up smiling slightly with pride at how strong her friend had become, a true feminist.

"I'm still heartbroken. I'm still sickened at the thought of them together. But I have no choice, I can't un-marry them. The only choice I have is to sit home crying about it or keep getting up."

"Oh my goddess we are so sorry we were stupid. We'll be better now, we can help you…if you want it." Fez wasn't as dumb as Kelso, he could ignore a pretty face to help his beautiful goddess.

"Well I still haven't been in a room with Ste-Hyde yet, so I probably will need it. I started with Kelso because he's a much easier target"

"Yes, our Kelso is easy." Fez added with a smirk.

* * *

Hyde sat in the basement staring into space, much like the day Sam showed up in Point Place.

_Okay, you did the most important thing you got rid of Sam. Unfortunately that was the easy part. Now you have to go talk to Jackie. A depressed Jackie… who just started speaking for the first time in weeks…this is going to be an uphill battle._


	11. Chapter 11

**AN**: I can't remember how much of the muffler shop they actually showed, so I'm sort of making up my own floor plan. And again _italics _are internal monologues.

"Mr. Foreman?" Hyde walked into the living room interrupting Red's football appreciation.

"Aw jeez, haven't I talked to you enough lately?"

"Yeah, sorry but listen, I know you like Jackie and she listens to you. So I need your help."

Red looked him over carefully. "That trampy blonde is gone for good?"

Hyde nodded resolutely. "Yeah. I called the chapel in Vegas because I wanted an annulment, and I thought it would help if someone there would swear in court that I was too trashed to know I was marrying a trampy blonde. Their line was disconnected and they re-routed you to the Vegas county better business bureau and there was a recorded message saying the chapel was unlicensed and all marriage certificates were null and void."

"So, what did The Pole Dancer have to say about that?"

"She said it was cool she'd go back to Vegas, she was bored here."

"That's it? You broke the Loud One's heart for a girl who can leave with a shrug, and who you were never actually married to."

"No Red. But I think it's more important that I explain it to the Loud One than you, will you help me?"

"Fine. What did you have in mind?"

* * *

**Jackie & Fez's Place**

"Okay Jackie. Fez and I feel that the only way to really do this, is to go see Hyde."

"That's the problem. I don't know what THIS is. Do I want to go over there yell at him, scream and tell him I can't wait for the day that I can totally and completely hate him. Or do I want to go over there tell him how much I loved him and let all the sadness out. And either way do I want him to respond by calling me a bitch and telling me how much better Sam is in bed, or do I want him to apologize and tell me how much he loved me when we were together. I just don't know."

"Jackie I do not understand. Why would you want Hyde to call you names?" Fez was now certain he didn't understand women.

"Because Fez if he acts like an asshole Jackie can start to dislike him, and get over him."

"Ah…but if he says tender words and regrets what happened she'll love him more but he will still be married. You women are very smart but complicated."

"Thank you Fez, you are always welcome at my feminist rallies."

"Thank you Donna….I know feminists don't shave but do they put out?"

::SMACK::

"Aiiiiiiiiii"

* * *

**MUFFLER SHOP**

"Hi Red, thanks for letting me sleep in today."

"Yeah yeah well Kitty made me go to the cardiologist so I had to close up half a day anyway. Kitty washed your uniform it's in the back." As Jackie walked to the back of the shop Red walked to the door, flipped the closed sign, and set the door to lock automatically from the inside. He looked inside one last time and sighed to himself, "I hope you've gotten better at this Steven, there are plenty of dangerous tools in there."

**INSIDE THE SHOP**

Jackie walked into the back of the shop humming under her breath. She walked over to the bench where her uniform sat folded. She stood facing the wall, unbuttoning her shirt

"We're not quite there yet."

"HOLY CRAP!!!" Jackie jumped a foot in the air clutching her shirt closed as she whipped around to face her intruder.

"Not that I haven't missed the show" Hyde smirked, though a little sadly.

Jackie quickly gathered her wits to face off with her ex, "I don't give shows Hyde, but I'm sure your wife's on stage about now for the lunch crowd."

That one stung, he couldn't pretend it hadn't. Though not the bit about his wife that was probably true. "Steven, and I'm sure she _is _on stage…in Vegas."

"All of a sudden you're one for formality…Vegas?" she stopped perplexed.

"Yeah, turns out we weren't really married, she packed up a few days ago," Hyde explained gazing into her mostly blank face. All blank and he was screwed, mostly blank he could work with.

"So no naked women in the basement now so you're spying on girls when they change? Are Fez and Kelso hiding in my locker waiting for the striptease?"

"No, but I do like that you call him Kelso now."

"You don't like that I call you Hyde."

"Yes…for the same reason."

"What?" Jackie scrunched up her face; he'd gotten more confusing since they broke up.

"I like that Kelso is 'Kelso' and I hate that I'm 'Hyde' and the reason behind both is the same."

"Because you think 'Michael' is a stupid name while 'Steven' is a cool one?" _Seriously this is what we're discussing the first time we're in a room together post-stripper?_

"No because it makes a statement about how you feel about each of us." _Crap are we really having this stupid discussion the first time we see each other?_

Jackie wasn't sure exactly what he was doing here but she had to get a handle on this. "That you're both raging man-whores who are in need of a follow-up visit at the free clinic?" _Okay Jackie, not as unaffected as you were hoping to appear. Voice got a little wobbly on the "whore" part._

"Nope, that you think of Kelso the same way you think of Fez and Foreman."

"Don't you mean I think of YOU and Kelso the way I think of Fez and Foreman?"

"No_." Come on Hyde this is it. You can keep going around in a circle with the names until she gets bored and walks out or_, "Because you still love me and you wish you could think of me that way." _You could start this._

Jackie was so startled to hear that come out of Hyde's mouth she just sat there gaping.

"You call me Hyde because you WANT to hate me. And well, that's pretty much just as bad." Hyde shrugged sadly.

"…" Jackie's mouth opened and shut.

"But that was kind of what I was going for"

Jackie's face turned red as she inhaled a huge breath so she could start to yell-

But Hyde jumped in quickly "Not to hurt you! Just to get you away…no wait that's not what I meant!" Jackie's defiant glare was falling with every word_. Man you suck at this she's gonna cry before you can straighten this out, think think…_ "Okay Jackie, I think the only way to do this without you killing me is if I get to talk first, without you interrupting me. Okay?"

Nothing.

"Jackie?"

"You said not to talk!" Then, she nodded.

"Okay…look. I was an asshole. I mean I've been an asshole since I came home from Vegas. Wait I gotta start earlier than that."

_Is he sweating? He almost sounds like he…planned what he wanted to say. Earlier? I get an explanation? Not just 'I'm an ass, sorry, wanna make out?' _Her eyes got wide with every passing word.

"Look, when you asked me about our future I panicked."

_Tell me something I don't know._

"Right I guess that one was obvious….But it wasn't the thought of being with you that made me freak. It was because you were giving me the choice. Red asked me why I'd give her a chance when I never gave you one."

_I wasn't what you wanted anymore._

"It was just easier that way. I ruin every chance I'm given, but if I ruined it with Sam then what did it matter. I never wanted her, you have to know that. I never wanted her. If she stayed I wouldn't have to see you and all the ruined opportunities I was given. You put up with my crap when we started dating. All that shit about not being your boyfriend. And you gave me a chance anyway."

_If I han't given you a chance I wouldn't have had you. There was no other choice for me._

He was barely looking at her now. But she couldn't help staring at him, it was like a fireworks display…or quite possibly a car wreck.

"And then with the nurse.." he trailed off clearing his throat. "You gave me a chance again, AND I screwed up. And still you gave me the chance at your whole life. And I knew I'd screwed up but what if I screwed it up 10 years from now when there was so much more to screw up?"

Jackie couldn't believe how much thought he'd put into this. THIS was Steven. No this wasn't Steven. Steven showed you what he felt as long as he didn't have to say it aloud. This was someone new entirely.

"I think I know why you gave me the chance then. But I mean, if I kept talking do you think you'd give me a chance to make it right? And not make any decisions about what you think of me until we get to the **very end?**

Hyde waited for the moment when Jackie would walk out without letting him get to the important part.

But then...

:: Nod::

_Okay Hyde man, law of averages says you're due one chance that doesn't fall apart. Let's hope this is it._

"Okay…"

AN: I know, I know, cruel. But it needed more tweaking and I wanted to give you something. So just be patient.


	12. Chapter 12

AN: And now the conclusion. Here again, Jackie and Hyde. Exactly where we left them in Chapter 11.

"I thought you were crazy for letting me choose your life for you. Jackie I've never made the right choices. Everything good I ever had I just stumbled across. I didn't choose to live with the Foreman, it just happened. I didn't choose to run my own business if I hadn't met WB it never would have happened. And I never chose to fall for you. One day it was just…the only thing I could do. I've never DONE anything."

"That's not true."

"Jackie, you said-"

"Yeah but the only way we'll ever get to the end is if we finish each thing that comes up."

Hyde's heart was beating too fast for his own good. _'End', 'finish'? Is this going to be over before I even get to try?_

"All those things may have **happened** to you, but you had to make some choices too. The Foreman's made you live with them. But you **CHOSE** to treat them like your family. You **CHOSE** to abide them. You didn't choose Grooves, but you **CHOSE** to build a relationship with WB. You **CHOSE** to actually make the effort at work. And you may have not chosen me," Jackie gulped back the tears that had been threatening for far too long. "But you chose to forgive me when I called Kelso my boyfriend that day. You chose not to give up on me when Eric and Donna told you to."

Hyde was starting to wonder how, in such a short time, she could reverse his perception of every moment of the last 8 years. He wished they'd been at a better point in their relationship so he could have her go back and brighten all the bad moments in his life.

"Don't you think, maybe, you're giving me too much credit, those things are all pretty much the obvious choice."

"No they aren't. The man you **think** you are wouldn't have made those choices. The man you think you are destined to be wouldn't care if Mrs. Foreman worried, or if Red was proud. You made those choices because you're NOT that Hyde."

"Maybe that was true. But I did make choices in Chicago…and Vegas." Hyde's face tightened, shamed at how badly he'd lost his way.

"Yeah," Jackie replied quietly. "Would it even have mattered if I'd gotten to explain what happened at the hotel?"

"What do you mean?" Hyde asked distressed at Jackie's new tone and confused by her question.

"If you had waited for me to explain, would you have stayed? Did you want to stay, did you want me to stay?"

"God Jackie, I wanted you to stay. But I needed you to be happy. And I was afraid that you could never be happy staying."

"But I told you-"

"But how long would that have lasted!?! Wouldn't you have wondered what your show would have been like? Wouldn't you have wondered what kind of apartment you'd have gotten in Chicago? Wouldn't you start daydreaming about being famous the way you used to dream about Prince Charming?"

"Oh God Steven Hyde! How many TV stations are there in this country? How many apartments in Point Place alone?! You don't think there EVER would have been another opportunity? But what are the chances that I would go to Chicago and there would be a Steven Hyde clone living right next door."

Hyde looked down and whispered so soft Jackie barely heard it. "I'm not worth that much."

"Steven, do you remember the life I was always bugging you for?"

"Yeah."

"What did I want?"

"You wanted to be on TV…and have a husband who took care of you and a house full of kids."

"Did the house seem like the important part to me?"

"Not really, but you had to put the kids somewhere."

"Right. If I had taken that job, could I have bought myself a nice house?"

"Probably."

"Would the job have given me kids?"

"…Oh."

"Yeah."

They sat in silence for a while. Hyde thought about all the things he'd learned recently. Things she'd said before, but he'd never really understood.

Jackie sat across the room from Hyde. Thinking about all the things he'd said. After Chicago she thought he'd started seeing only horrible things in her. But now it was clear he was only seeing those horrible things in himself.

"What kind of life did you think you'd have with **her**, anyway?" Jackie had decided not to pull any punches. They were so far down in this mess she figured she could ask anything she wanted to get them out.

"None really." Hyde was slumped against the bench in the back room, staring at Jackie's tiny feet poking out from under her jeans. His doll had always been so small. "If it lasted longer than a year then I guess we probably would have ended up like Bud and Edna."

"Why would you want to do that to yourself, you saw how bad that was?"

"Exactly I knew how bad it would be. I knew exactly what I was getting."

"How could you want to do that, give your kids the same childhood you'd had. I would never recreate the circumstances of my childhood."

"Jackie." Hyde didn't understand why she didn't get this yet. "There wouldn't have been any children. I wasn't like you. I didn't know all my life that I was going to get married and have kids. I only ever wanted those things when I was with you. Because it was you."

Jackie's resolve to listen and not jump to conclusions was slowly fading away. It was amazing how fast her dreams could come back with just one conversation.

"Jackie, the Foremans got me through high school, and kept me out of jail. But I only grew up because of you. And I fought you on it because I'd seen the grown up versions of me and it wasn't pretty. If I was still a kid I had a chance. But once I was grown up…I was Bud."

"I never thought you'd grow up to be Bud."

"Yeah. I never noticed how much I'd changed since Edna left."

"You NEVER would have been Bud, or Edna. You would have done anything in your power to not give them the satisfaction of ruining you. I always thought you'd end up more like Red."

Hyde's smile was small, but sincere. "Well I'm certainly a lot more like Red than Foreman is."

"Yeah, he's likely to grow up to be Kitty." Jackie smirked and they shared a small laugh.

They sat in silence, shoulder to shoulder. Jackie was still restraining herself. She wanted more than anything to put her arms around him, comfort him and make him believe that all his fears were wrong. They weren't there yet, but she couldn't stop herself from establishing some small contact.

"Steven?"

"_Steven," Oh thank god._

"Did you…did you stop thinking about me? When you were with Sam. Did you still think about me, did you miss me, and…" The tears that had been threatening all day finally fell.

"I called her Jackie."

"What?"

"I remember, during the ceremony, I was really drunk. But I said 'I take you Jackie to be my wife'. I guess Sam was drunk too because we just kept going. But I said it."

"Really?" Her voice was small, but hopeful.

"Yes Jackie, it was never her. It was never about her. It was always about you. Not ruining your life with my crap, not watching you now that I'd lost you, not wanting what I could have had with you. Jackie I always, always loved you. I always always Love you."

Jackie was crying now, fully crying. It was happy and sad, hopeful for what would come next and regretful for all the things they'd done.

"I know that getting you to really trust me again is going to be an uphill battle. But once we make it to the top who knows what's there for us."

"Like a steep drop down the other side," she gasped between tears.

"It could be…but there's a **chance**. If we stay here at the bottom we have nothing. Getting to the top is something."

Jackie took deep breaths, stopping her tears.

"You were right, it isn't all chance. It's choices. I know my choices since your job offer have sucked. But I'm making new ones now. I choose to keep talking until you know, for certain, how I've always felt. I choose to trust you now, and I choose to know that you wanted a LIFE with me. Not just a big house. I choose you Jackie. And I'm going to keep choosing you over and over again."

"Jackie?"

"I chose you a long time ago Steven. I love you."

Hyde finally exhaled. The end wasn't their end. They were finished, with the hurt and the smoke screens. THIS was finished. They were finally started. He stood up, taking her small hands and lifting her too. And then…finally... he kissed her. Long ,slow, without a thought in his head other than THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. When the broke apart he rested his head against hers and stared into her eyes.

"If we leave this room will we be able to keep it together out there?" he hesitantly pointed outside the shop.

Jackie smiled, brilliant and honest. "This is just the repair shop Steven. To really know if it's fixed you have to take it out on the road." She smiled coyly and led the way out of the shop, tossing a smile over her shoulder.

He thumped his head back against the wall, happy but exhausted. _Thank God. You can see the entire world from the top of this hill._

**THE END.**

**AN: **Well, there we go. Done. Hopefully it met your expectations. With any luck inspiration will strike again soon. Thank you all for the reviews and the support.


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